FAQ:Index

Frequently Asked Questions

I used (Web)AOM to add a series, and it shows up in MyList, but not in the anime details!
I then added the files through the web interface and suddenly I have twice as many files!

This is because of a bug in AniDB. It will correct itself after the Routine Maintenance, which takes place every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So the solution is to just wait.

Who are the girls on the AniDB banner?

The answer as far as we know it, can be found here.

I did a MyList export, but how do I open it?

The MyList export is in a .tgz archive, this is a gzipped tar file; a decent (de)compression program should be able to handle it. You can try 7-zip (which is free and open-source) or WinRAR (which isn't; it's shareware).

Things don't look like they used to
The page is broken!
Everything is to the left! Nothing is centred!

AniDB has/is changing all of its pages to use CSS, this will likely break incompatible browsers such as Internet Explorer. If you want to be able to view AniDB correctly you should switch to a standards-compliant browser like Firefox or Opera. AniDB has not supported Internet Explorer for quite some time, and it will take a lot of work on Microsoft's part before AniDB will support it again.

Can you move my MyList to another account?

No.

Can I change my username?

Yes. Note, however, that the new username with be marked (with an asterisk) as changed, and that all users will be able to read the username's history. This is not a "I was a jerk so I'll change my name and pretend it never happened" function.

A group should be complete, but is ongoing or stalled!

If files were added in the last day or so, the state hasn't been updated yet. Wait for the Routine Maintenance to kick in. More information can be found here.

Why is the file count of group x for anime z off?
Update the episodes of group x for anime z!

First of all, you should clearly understand how AniDB works. The file counts for group per anime are automatically generated out of the added files. Hence when some groups data is "incomplete" it means no one added the files for it. DON'T ask AniDB mods to add those for you. We don't have the files so how could we add them.
AniDB is a user-driven database so you can add them yourself and "correct" the count. Read here for more info regarding this.

Why can't I vote permanently?

You can only vote for anime that have ended. To determine whether an anime has ended or not, AniDB takes a look at the current date and the listed enddate of the anime. If there is no enddate listed, it needs to be added. Where to find release dates for anime. If the enddate is the current day, you will have to wait until tomorrow.

How do I download anime?

We do not provide ed2k, Bittorrent or download support here!

AniDB does NOT offer any files for download. Neither does any AniDB Client (i.e. AniDB O'Matic). Also take a look at the AniDB Disclaimer.

How do I enable viewing of hentai?

In your profile there is a setting for this.

Can i delete my account?

As required by GDRP article 17 we will remove your account if you so desire. Please send us an email from the associated email address of the account to info@anidb.net and state that you want your account removed. Please note that if there are multiple accounts associated with that email we will remove all of them unless you specify.

Please note that the process is not instant and we have upto 30 days to comply to your request.

Furthermore note that we will not remove data anidb does not consider personal and is used to enrich anidb. That is reviews, recommendations, similar anime suggestions, votes and forum posts. Especially when it comes to forum posts this is a tricky act and we ask you to manually look over your posts and remove any personal data from them, but please leave the remaining ones. Discussions become otherwise impossible if they are gutted. The username associated with all of these is pseudonymized which is an alternative to outright deletion and is a valid way to comply with your request under GDRP statutes. We will gladly arbite by your request, but please understand that anidb needs to operate and needs to retain some non personal data for that.

If you have questions about the procedure please join us on irc and state your issue.

Also see

AniDB Support Forum for any Question you can't find an answer for on the wiki.